WACO, Texas -- No. 1 Baylor claimed the 24th victory of its so far undefeated season, dispatching Oklahoma 81-54 Monday night.
Whitney Hand led Oklahoma with 20 points and freshman Sharane Campbell scored 13, but no other Sooners managed more than two field goals as foul trouble doomed Sherri Coale’s gameplan from the start.
Brittney Griner scored 27 points, hitting 13 of 13 at the free throw line, and Destiny Williams added 15 points as the Lady Bears overpowered the Sooners inside the Ferrell Center.
Oklahoma's plan to be physical with Griner backfired, with Baylor's 6-foot-8 phenom making all 13 of her free throws. And the Sooners made things even worst when they went nearly 11 minutes after halftime before finally making a field goal.
Griner faced the 5-7 Ellenberg for the tip-off, holding back a smile as Oklahoma started the game in a defensive set. Griner scored the first two points of the game, and then the next few minutes belonged to Oklahoma.
Morgan Hook hit a 3 on OU’s opening possession and then Ellenberg and Hand contributed two points each, giving the Sooners a 7-3 lead. From there, excessive fouls in the paint put Baylor on the free throw line 18 times.
Hand wrestled the lead back with a jumper at the 14-minute mark but then Baylor began a 13-0 run and would never be contested again.
Baylor led 41-30 at halftime and expanded on that lead quickly as Oklahoma missed its first 16 field goals of the second half.
Junior forward Joanna McFarland returned to action for the first time after suffering a fractured jaw against Oklahoma State on Jan. 14. McFarland missed six games, in which the Sooners went 5-1. McFarland scored just one point and had nine rebounds in 25 total minutes.
Oklahoma fell to 0-14 all-time versus the AP’s No. 1-ranked team. An unranked team has toppled the AP No. 1 just seven times and only once on the team’s home court when Penn State lost to James Madison 73-71 in the 1991 NCAA Second Round.
OU freshman Sharane Campbell scored in double figures, with 13 points, for the sixth straight game, and matched her career high with four steals, which she has managed in three of her last four games.
Oklahoma faces a stretch of four games in eight days, starting Saturday, Feb. 11, with Missouri visiting the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman for a 2 p.m. contest.
